Patients forced to flee after hospital fire

More than 100 patients and staff were evacuated from the Astley Ainslie Hospital in Edinburgh yesterday evening after a fire broke out in a ward.

Firefighters were called after a fire started in the ground-floor Miles ward, part of the Balfour Pavilion, shortly after 5pm.

No-one was injured in the incident during which 73 patients and 12 staff were evacuated.

Twenty-two patients were taken to Corstorphine Hospital, 21 were moved to another part of the Astley Ainslie hospital and the remaining 30 returned to a part of the ward unaffected by the fire. The fire service has launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.